Each day, thousands of emergency and other situations arise in which one or more individuals require assistance. Emergency situations can include medical situations, car accidents, airplane accidents, bombings, fires, natural disasters, etc. In many regions throughout the world, teams of responders are notified of emergency situations such that they can provide assistance to the individuals in need. These teams of responders can include emergency medical technicians, firefighters, police officers, hazmat crews, volunteers, military personnel, etc. The responders are generally notified of the emergency situation from a dispatcher that receives a distress call. For example, in the United States, 911 call centers receive calls regarding emergency situations and provide the relevant information to an appropriate response team.
The inventors have perceived that current response systems are limited by their inability to dispatch a real time response to an emergency situation where the response is based on the most accessible, relevant, and available resources of a plurality of agencies and individuals. The inventors have also perceived that current response systems are limited by their inability to incorporate real time information into the response plan and/or to modify the response plan based on real time information. The inventors have also perceived that current response systems are limited by their inability to provide real time tracking and monitoring of all individuals and equipment responding to the situation, regardless of the affiliation of the individuals and equipment. The inventors have further perceived that current response systems are limited by their inability to coordinate the dispatch of multiple agencies for extreme emergencies that are spread out over large areas and/or involve numerous victims.
The inventors have also perceived that current response systems are limited by their inability to provide dispatchers and commanders with an up-to-date view of all assets dispatched in response to a situation, regardless of the affiliation of the dispatcher/commander or the communication networks used by the dispatcher/commander. The inventors have further perceived that current response systems are limited by their inability to provide a method for analyzing and evaluating the performance of individuals responding to situations, and using the evaluation to immediately impact how the individuals are dispatched to subsequent situations.